THE SELF-HEALTH MOVEMENT: CHANGING FOR GOOD HEALTH

Author

Julian Michael Saad, University of Rhode IslandFollow

Date of Award

2022

Degree Type

Dissertation

Degree Name

Doctor of Philosophy in Psychology

Specialization

Clinical Psychology

Department

Psychology

First Advisor

James Prochaska

Abstract

Each person's efforts to support their personal health deserve to be supported and valued by those providers, researchers, and politicians that take a vested interest in the health of populations. Although there are scientific fields, like Population Health, that are committed to supporting equitable patterns of health across populations, there remains a very real absence of a unifying framework that can coordinate the very essential efforts of persons, populations, providers, researchers, and politicians. There is a great need for a generally-accepted and widely-used way of communicating to individual persons and general populations about the science of their health and the vital changes that support good health.

This book presents an inclusive and integrative model that is ready for use by persons and populations that are in (or want to be in, are thinking about, or are not yet ready to think about but might benefit from) a pursuit of health. Our model, the Transtheoretical Model of Change (TTM) is a vehicle that persons, general populations, providers, researchers, and politicians can use collaboratively to travel the various Stages of Change. This book will present chapters on (1) the theory/philosophy of the model, (2) ways to apply the model to support self-development, (3) ways to apply the model to support the health of other individuals, and (4) ways to apply the model to enhance the health of populations.

As this material is developed, the reader will become acquainted with a scientifically backed model of change that can be used for Self-Help and for Population Health. Together, these approaches inform a Self-Health Movement. This movement is inspired by the vital and ongoing importance of each person's and population's ability to be Changing for Good Health.

Recommended Citation

Saad, Julian Michael, "THE SELF-HEALTH MOVEMENT: CHANGING FOR GOOD HEALTH" (2022). Open Access Dissertations. Paper 1460.
https://digitalcommons.uri.edu/oa_diss/1460